2025 Home Run Derby: Five sluggers we want to see debut and hit dingers
Major League Baseball's annual celebration of longballs is fast approaching, with the 2025 Home Run Derby set for Monday, July 14 at Truist Park in Atlanta and sluggers dreaming of joining the exclusive list of winners.
This year's participants are not yet official, but a handful of stars are already voicing their desire to swing for the fences. While we should expect some veterans in the field like two-time winner Pete Alonso, the Home Run Derby can be a showcase for the game's up-and-coming young hitters.
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There was a stretch in the 21st century where a lot of top players would shy away from taking part, largely due to a long-running fear of the "Home Run Derby Curse" and the notion that the contest can negatively impact your swing long-term. The data is still out that on that.
But that's changed in recent years, with young players eager to put on a show – even if they aren't pure home run hitters.
Here's a look at five rising sluggers we want to see make their Home Run Derby debuts in Atlanta:
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Could "The Big Dumper" become the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby?
Leading the majors with 32 homers, Raleigh should smash Salvador Perez's single-season record for catchers and is on pace to top Aaron Judge's American League record 62 homers. Seattle's 28-year-old backstop already counts Johnny Bench among his biggest fans and told USA TODAY Sports he'd jump at the chance to participate in the Derby if he were invited: "Why wouldn't you want to do something like that?"
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As of June 24, the Mariners still have 19 games left before the All-Star break and Raleigh has a chance to become just the seventh player in history to reach 35 in the first half.
James Wood, Washington Nationals
One of the tallest players in baseball at 6-foot-7, Washington's 22-year-old slugger is tied for third in baseball with 12 "no-doubters" – homers that would be gone in all 30 stadiums according to Baseball Savant. Wood is averaging 415 feet per home run, second among all players with at least 13 homers entering play on June 23.
'I mean, it's been brought up,' Wood told reporters about his potential participation. 'But I mean, I don't know. We'll see. That'd be cool if I'm invited. So let's try to get that first.'
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Said Wood: 'I've heard all of it. Like, 'It'll mess up your swing.' But I'm sure there's a whole lot of stuff it's good for. ... 'You're taking as many swings as you can in, like, 2½ minutes. That's a lot.'
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati's unicorn shortstop has declined to participate the past two years, but hinted in 2024 that his time would come eventually.
'It's not my time to do it yet,' De La Cruz told reporters last season. 'It's too many swings, and I want to rest on those days,' he said, having talked with other Dominican players who participated in the past.
The 23-year-old has 18 home runs in 79 games, on track to blow past the 25 he hit as a first-time All-Star last year.
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Said De La Cruz's agent Scott Boras in 2024: 'I guess it'll happen someday. ... Elly is an athlete. The Home Run Derby requires a visceral strength to repeat something which is very different than being an elite baseball player.
'Like Pete Alonso (of the Mets) and those kind of guys with those kind of bodies and strength, you can understand why they can endure a home run contest.'
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers
In his second year, Los Angeles' 24-year-old outfielder overcame a slow start and has hit .330 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs in 55 games from April 22-June 22. His 16 home runs are second on the Dodgers behind Shohei Ohtani and he's playing his way into consideration for a spot on the All-Star team – managed by Los Angeles skipper Dave Roberts.
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay's 21-year-old third baseman has found his power stroke in his first full season, clubbing 19 homers through 73 games in 2025, quickly becoming one of the top young hitters in the game.
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He's also totally down for the Derby, which has never been won by a Rays player.
"If I get selected, and they give me the opportunity, yes," Caminero said in an appearance on Foul Territory. "I'm not going to say that I'm going to win, but I'm going to put on a great show for the fans, and it's going to be entertaining."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Home Run Derby 2025: 5 young sluggers we want to see hit dingers
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But it wasn't just his raw numbers that earned him the trust of legendary coach Tom Izzo. It was his maturity and poise. 'I didn't come to Michigan State with the idea of being a one-and-done player," Richardson revealed to me. 'At first, I was just grateful to be playing as a freshman under Izzo. But as the season went on, I kind of just felt the trust of him and my teammates keep going up. When that happened, it became a possibility. I was like, 'Hey, I could really, I could really do this.' And then, I had to talk with Coach, and he kind of just agreed. He was like, 'Yeah, I can't see you staying here one more year. You need to go.' So, I think that was really like the main thing that told me, 'Yeah, I think I'm ready to do this.' ' Despite only staying for a year, Richardson was very pleased with his decision to follow in his father's footsteps. The only part of his tenure at Michigan State that could cast aspirations on his capabilities as a player was the position he played. Due to the Spartans being a guard-centric team, Richardson logged most of his minutes at shooting guard. This may lead some teams to wonder if Richardson can't handle a role as a primary creator, but make no mistake, he is ready for the challenge. When you watch Richardson closely on film, you see a natural decision-maker, and the numbers back it up, too. Last season, he was in the 92nd percentile in assist-to-turnover ratio. "My mom was a point guard when she played. So, she made sure I was taught all the fundamentals of the game," Richardson explained. 'Growing up, I was always a point guard. I think Michigan State was really the first year I started playing off the ball. I think I'm more of a lead guard in the NBA." 'Being a lead guard, it's all about reading the floor and making the right decision based on what the defense is doing. To do that, you need to watch a lot of film. I was always a good film watcher, but I became a great one at Michigan State. That's one of the biggest things Coach Izzo taught me during our time together. Once I entered the starting lineup, he and I would do a film session together at least once a week, and that gave me a whole different perspective on everything.' Today's players are more skilled than ever. Even Richardson will tell you that there are a lot of like-sized guards who are capable of producing offense for themselves and their teammates. However, most players in his archetype come with the drawback of being vulnerable defenders. They are often the weak link in any lineup they play in. But not Richardson. At Michigan State (the number four defense in the nation last year), you don't get to play if you aren't a good defender. "Defense is the only way you are going to stay on the floor," Richardson emphasized. "You have to hit shots and defend." 'Because I was playing shooting guard, there were nights where my primary matchup would be 6'7 or 6'8. In those instances, my goal was to be as physical and aggressive as possible. I had to show them that I could defend and that there would not be any easy buckets on me.' What Richardson was getting at with the quote above was how he was often tasked with guarding guys who were taller than the ones he will likely see at the NBA level. Clearly, Richardson proved ready for the job (again, they were the fourth-ranked defense in the nation). History Says Jase Richardson Is A Sure Thing The oddest part about this case of recency bias is that any concerns about Richardson can be resolved with just a little bit of research. Over the years, Bart Torvik queries have become a bit of a running joke because, with the right parameters, any prospect can be made to look like a future star. But in certain situations, they can be very insightful. Richardson is one of those examples. If you look at every college rookie who has ever scored a BPM of 10 or higher (minimum 15 games played), you will find 24 such occurrences (one of which being Richardson) since 2008. All of those players – except Sam Dekker (18th overall) and Robbie John Hummel (58th) – were or will be (in Flagg's case) a top 10 pick. That list includes two former MVPs (Joel Embiid and James Harden) and eight other All-Star/All-NBA players. Even more impressive, only six other guards have ever managed this feat. Here are those players. Harden – a southpaw like Richardson – is a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer. Trae Young (another player who received criticism during the pre-draft process for his smaller stature) will likely join him after a few more high-level seasons. D'Angelo Russell (another lefty) has an All-Star nomination under his belt. Marcus Smart was one of the best two-way role players in the league during his prime, and Lonzo Ball was trending in that direction before a catastrophic knee injury derailed his career (and even then, he's still pretty good). Reed Sheppard's story is still yet to be written, but many analysts believed at the time that he was the best prospect in the 2024 Class. If that doesn't tell you that Richardson is the closest you can get to a sure thing in this group, then I don't know what will. At the very least, Richardson deserves more benefit of the doubt. If you're an NBA general manager and you're reading this, do yourself a favor and don't fall for recency bias. Go ahead and draft the most underrated player in this year's class.
